It's almost baseball season

Beisebol and curling are the only pro sports I give the time of day to. In my youth, I was a good hitter, not such a good catcher. I gave up the game because one time the bat slipped out of my hands and hit the catcher who wasn't wearing protective gear. He was okay, but the episode freaked me out. I was a curler for the RA Club in Ottawa when I worked for the feds, and earlier when my parents worked for the feds also.

TV replays showed the man falling head-first and landing behind a 4.2-metre-high wall supporting a video board for replays and scores. The area where the man fell is out of sight from the field.

It is the second fatal fall at a MLB ballpark this season. In May, a 27-year-old man died after he fell about six metres and struck his head on concrete during the seventh inning of a Colorado Rockies game. Witnesses told police that the man had been trying to slide down a staircase railing at Coors Field and lost his balance during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The accident in Texas occurred in the second inning after Oakland's Conor Jackson hit a foul ball that ricocheted into left field. Josh Hamilton, the reigning AL MVP, retrieved the ball and tossed it into the stands. Replays on Oakland's television broadcast show the man reaching for the ball and apparently catching it before tumbling.

I went to see the Vancouver Canadians last night, the Single-A Affiliate of the Blue Jays (Kelly Gruber Day was last week). They beat the Boise Hawks 4-2. The winning run was scored off a wild pitch. In other news, I ate a hot dog, a pretzel and half a bag of mini-donuts.

I played softball yesterday for the first time in 18 years. First up to bat, I hit it past third base and was safe at first. Second up to bat, the ump spaced out and called me out after 2 balls, 2 strikes. More importantly, I can walk today.

I went to see the Vancouver Canadians last night, the Single-A Affiliate of the Blue Jays (Kelly Gruber Day was last week). They beat the Boise Hawks 4-2. The winning run was scored off a wild pitch. In other news, I ate a hot dog, a pretzel and half a bag of mini-donuts.

Sounds like a wonderfully chill way to celebrate a birthday.

Taking in a game at Nat Bailey is still on my to-do list when I'm in Vancouver.

Nice to see the Jays rebrand, I fell for it... Ozzie Guillen got taken out of context about Fidel Castro and had to pay the price. I haven't seen anything about it here, but there's a decent analysis by a sportswriter(gasp) here: http://blogs.thescore.com/mlb/2012/04/10/ozzie-guillen-and-the-culture-o... A bit of decent discussion in the commentary too. Sometimes I wonder if us sport-loving rubes aren't as luddite as I thought.

I know that there are those who will rush to say that the First Amendment has nothing whatsoever to do with Ozzie Guillen’s case. They will point out correctly that the First Amendment is about the government not being able to pass laws abridging freedom of speech. They will also say that that as soon as we enter our private workplaces and whenever we represent our employer, the Bill of Rights isn’t worth more than tissue paper. Yes, democracy in the streets and dictatorship on the job is as American as apple pie.

But please consider this: The Miami Marlins and their new stadium would not exist without billions of dollars in taxpayer commitments. While legally it is a private entity, it is in all but name an entirely public funded operation. Shouldn’t that loosen the awful restrictions placed on Guillen and all pro athletes who are scared to speak out for fear of having to suffer a similar fate? As long as sports teams take public funds, the people who play them should be entitled to see their playing field as a public square with all the First Amendment protections implied.

in the meantime, I enjoy being a free-agent baseball fan, and only suffering when I choose to; this season, go Angels, Phillies, and for some heartburn, the Cubs; may even get to ex-SkyDome for a few games